Legal Counsel
Wintermute
Legal
London, UK · Singapore · Remote
Posted on Tuesday, November 14, 2023
About Wintermute
Wintermute is one of the largest crypto-native algorithmic trading companies in digital assets. We provide liquidity algorithmically across most cryptocurrency exchanges and trading platforms, a broad range of OTC trading solutions as well as support high profile blockchain projects and traditional financial institutions moving into crypto. Wintermute also has a Wintermute Ventures arm that invests in early stage DeFi projects. Wintermute was founded in 2017 by industry leaders and has successfully navigated crypto industry cycles. Culturally, we combine the best of the two worlds: the technology standards of high-frequency trading firms in traditional markets and the innovative and entrepreneurial culture of technology startups. To Wintermute digital assets is not just another asset class, we believe in the innovative potential of blockchain, the fundamental innovations, we have a long-term view on the digital asset market and are taking a leadership position in building an innovative and compliant market. Read more here.
Nature of the role
We are looking for a junior lawyer to join our legal team. The ideal candidate will have experience in traditional financial markets and can easily adapt to the entrepreneurial, varied and highly dynamic nature of our business. Ambition to work on leading-edge challenges and opportunities specific to the cryptocurrency industry is a must, as is the ability to navigate regulatory uncertainty in global, interconnected markets. The role covers all jurisdictions in which Wintermute primarily operates(UK, Singapore), as well as all products and all relevant areas of law with a focus on commercial and regulatory. In this role you will work closely with the rest of the legal team as well as with the businesses directly: with traders, business development, product, operations. You will also work on projects with the senior leadership team, such as COO, CEO, etc.
Responsibilities
- Lead legal-commercial negotiations: draft and negotiate agreements in relation to our business lines (OTC, liquidity provision, derivatives documentation, trading agreements, software agreements, and others)
- Regulatory research & compliance guidance: work closely with the General Counsel and Deputy GC to monitor the legal and regulatory landscapes across jurisdictions; support financial regulatory compliance under each regulatory regime (FCA, MAS, SEC, CTFC, etc.); advise and support guidance on regulation of decentralized finance and protocols
- Corporate: support and manage the corporate structure and governance across multiple entities and jurisdictions
- Disputes and claims: assist the legal team and the business to resolve any commercial disputes efficiently while protecting the Company’s interests
- External counsel: Manage external counsel as required, e.g. employment law, counsel in relation to other jurisdictions, etc. Assist with managing legal spend and review legal bills
Hard Skills Requirements
- 2-6 years of experience practicing law (qualified) at a top-tier law firm or as in-house counsel for a firm specialized in financial services, fintech and/or crypto;
- Experience working in a high-performance, dynamic and high-growth environment is strongly preferred; self-motivation and drive is essential
- Strong grasp of commercial law in relation to financial services, e.g. ISDAs, financial services contracts, trading agreements and others (OTC, structured products, lending agreements etc.)
- In depth knowledge of regulations in relation to proprietary trading, financial services and crypto specifically those in the UK, Singapore, the USA and/or EU, general knowledge of regulations in other jurisdictions
- Experience/understanding of the crypto industry, i.e. types of tokens, token governance, DAOs, blockchain foundations and decentralized organizations is strongly preferred
- Experience with commercial litigation or dispute resolution is a plus
- Curiosity and interest to learn other areas of law and business quickly
- Proven ability to see the bigger picture and commercial strategy; quickly understand new functional areas and have a cross-functional mindset
- Strong interest and curiosity in algorithmic trading and decentralized finance
- Detail oriented, interested in delivering client-first solutions to legal and business problems
- Experience with MS Office, Google Suite, CRM (eg Hubspot or Salesforce), CLM (Ironclad and/or Spotdraft)
Wintermute Offer
- A unique opportunity to join one of the leading companies in digital asset space as a key member of the legal team and take on personal ownership and accountability
- Very varied and interesting projects across all law areas in the most dynamic finance industry: a level of learning and responsibilities as well as intellectual challenge that is hard for any law firm or traditional trading company/bank/hedge fund to match
- Company culture: informal, non-hierarchical, ambitious, highly professional yet dynamic, collaborative, entrepreneurial
